Eczema in teens
In her late teens, my 25-year-old daughter developed eczema which is worse on her face, around her mouth, nose and forehead. The skin in these areas is very spotty and blotchy which is really starting to sap her confidence. None of the medicines or creams she has tried from the GP have been successful. Can you recommend someone she could see? She lives in London but could travel to another town.
Your daughter will not need to travel too far since the holistic skin clinic I am going to recommend is The Alternative Centre in London. Established more than 20 years ago by two sisters, Sandra Gibbons and Jane Waters, the clinic has long pioneered the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis with natural remedies.
There is always a waiting list for an appointment but, in the meantime, certain dietary changes should help improve the condition of your daughter’s skin. Her eczema could be a sign of an intolerance to casein - the protein in milk - and so switching to sheep and goat dairy products if she cannot cut dairy out altogether should help. Other eczema sufferers, who have cleared their condition using alternative remedies, also report significant improvements when they eliminate wheat from their diets too.
Staphylococcus aureus, one of the so-called Superbugs that is now resistant to most antibiotic treatments, has also been implicated in exacerbating and spreading eczema in adults. To reduce the risk of this infection, your daughter needs to build her immune system with one of the strong antibacterial herbal agents such as burdock or goldenseal, which you can take internally and dilute to make an antibacterial facewash.
Lots of eczema sufferers have also found relief with quercetin - an anti-allergenic flavanoid found naturally but in small quantities in red cherries, onions, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower. This supplement, now widely on sale in health stores here, has become one of the all-time biggest selling supplements in the US.